Acethetic — Closed

Much of our art, be it written, visual, or otherwise, is based around sexual attraction and the desire for sexuality. Even in stories where the major plot is focused elsewhere, sexuality will often show up in a subplot.

Sexuality is hardly universal, however: though allosexuality may define the media landscape we live in, it does not define all of us!

This anthology is a place for ace characters to shine. Perhaps your character is striving for recognition against expectations placed on them by society. Perhaps they are simply trying to live a quiet life and meeting unexpected resistance. Either way, Acethetic exists for their stories to be heard.

About the anthology

Acethetic is an anthology of short fiction edited by Madison Scott-Clary. It will comprise several pieces from diverse authors. The anthology will be released in both physical and e-book formats, as well as, depending on interest, audiobook format.

Here is what Hybrid will be looking for:

Submission content

We are looking for short story submissions that explore the lives of our asexual friends and family. The stories should focus on characters anywhere on the specturm of asexuality. Aromantic characters also welcome, of course! We are particularly keen on featuring #OwnVoices authors.

Hybrid Ink will not, under any circumstances, publish content that portrays any of the following without justification or in a positive light:

Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of discrimination
Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18
Rape, torture, dubious consent, or forced seduction
Gratuitous violence, gore, or death

For more information, please see here, and remember that we're all governed by our code of conduct.

Submission genre

While there is no restriction on genre of submitted stories, we will aim for a cohesive anthology after the fact. For instance, if we receive more speculative fiction stories than contemporary fiction, that may play a role in accepting stories. Literary fiction, speculative fiction, shifters, furries…give us your best!

Submission rating

G–R — we ask that authors avoid explicit descriptions of sex, but do understand that sometimes that’s necessary to the plot. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to ask!

Submission length

2,000–15,000 words — if you feel like you will fall outside this range, let us know!

Rate

2½¢ per word (maximum $100 per story. Why?)

Simultaneous submissions

Yes, but please inform us if you are also submitting to other sources.

Multiple submissions

Yes — limit 2. A maximum of 1 will be published.

Prior publication

Previously published works are allowed, but preference given to entries that have not yet been published.

Schedule

Submissions open	December 1, 2019
Submissions close	March 1, 2020
Submissions read and responded to	Within eight weeks
Anthology available for sale	within six months of contracts

Submission contracts will include a sunset clause. You may see an example contract here.

Submitting to Hybrid

Please submit via email to hybrid+submit@hybrid.ink.

Include your name and what you are submitting for in the subject line in the format [Submission type] Submission name (for X) by Author. For example, Jace Doe is submitting their story "Something Awesome," to the Great Stories anthology, they would use the subject line [Story] Something Awesome (for Great Stories) by Jace Doe.

Alternately, for longer work queries, if Anna Doe is submitting a query for her novel Holy Crap, Birds!, she would use the subject line [Query] Holy Crap, Birds! by Anna Doe.

Please submit the entire short work, or the first 10,000 words or so (about twenty pages) for longer work queries. If your work is longer than 10,000 words, please also submit a synopsis. We will accept the following formats: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), Open Document Format/LibreOffice/Calligra Words (.odt), Markdown, TeX of various flavors. We can also accept Google Docs, but would prefer a standalone file.

If you are submitting to a call for submissions, please be sure to note the following in your submission email:

Whether or not you are submitting simultaneously to other markets
Whether or not your submission has already been published elsewhere
Whether or not you are submitting multiple submissions to the call

We appreciate you following these guidelines, as they help all of us keep submissions organized! If you are submitting to an anthology and do not follow the email subject line guidelines, you will confuse our poor editors, those wily beasts, and we will have to coax them out of catatonia once more.

For published pieces we take non-exclusive print and electronic publishing rights. Bear in mind that most publications will not publish pieces that have been published in print, e-book, or on the web, so for all intents and purposes after your work is published by us it can only be marketed as a reprint. That is, while we accept reprints, that is hardly universal. It is up to you, the author, to decide if publishing your work in print and/or e-book formats is really what you want to do.